Foodie parents, stop worrying. Just because now have tiny tots in tow when you go out to dinner doesn’t mean you can only eat at places that have cartoon mascots, a video game room, and an all-deep-fried kids menu. In fact, when you’re in New York City or San Francisco, you can dine at some of the finest restaurants around. Not only do they have four stars, but they’re able to accommodate four-year-olds, too. Here are six big-ticket kid-friendly fine dining restaurants for little ones in the Big Apple and the Golden City.

Le Perigord

One of the finest and fanciest French restaurants in Manhattan is more than happy to host petits convives (little diners). Owner Georges Briguet, who has four children and seven grandchildren, loves having kids around. “I don’t even mind if they cry in the restaurant,” he says. “It’s better than music.” There is no children’s menu, so servers simply ask what dishes might work best. Favorites include the vegetable tart or lobster bisque for appetizers, while a variety of pastas, turbot filet, and the burger are the most often-ordered mains. Sometimes Briguet will serve diminutive diners snails, sweetbreads, or frogs’ legs. “I don’t tell them what they’re eating until they’re done,” he says. “It’s important they are exposed to such flavors so early.” Meals finish with a visit from the “Temptation Wagon,” a cart laden with options such as chocolate mousse, tarte tatin, and raspberry tart.

Le Périgord, a classic French restaurant in Midtown Manhattan, has a “Temptation Wagon” laden with desserts that rolls up to every table. The treats are included in the restaurant’s $75 prix-fixe menu.

Nonetheless, owner Georges Briguet says about three quarters of his customers order a warm soufflé, which is $8 à la carte or a $6 supplement to the prix-fixe menu.

Operators of newer restaurants also report that their warm desserts are attracting crowds. For some, the physical comfort of something warm at the end of the meal, plus the emotional comfort of the desserts’ sweetness and richness, are enough to satisfy customers. Others are using seasonal ingredients, nostalgic whimsy, pop culture references or contrasting temperatures to add extra allure to dishes….read more ››

Frog Legs at Le Perigord

If you’ve ever wanted to peek into the history of NYC’s refined restaurant past, there are very few options to visit these days. There’s the Four Seasons, for one, which will soon undergo a massive transformation when taken over by the Major Food Group (Carbone, Dirty French, etc.). There’s La Grenouille, which has been undergoing some changes itself, with a shift in partnership. And then there is Le Perigord, which celebrated its 51st birthday this year, and has barely changed a whit since opening.

Georges Briguet and his family still run the restaurant. The waiters still wear tuxedos and provide tableside service. You can always count on a celebrity being in the room. (In 1964, it might have been Elizabeth Taylor and Richard Burton. In 2015, it could be regulars Tyne Daly or Henry Kissinger). And the best part: you can still find expertly-executed classics that have been on the menu since opening day in 1964. Among them: frog legs ($28), sautéed in butter, garlic, shallots, lemon juice and white wine–plump, juicy and full of classic French flavor.

To explore more throwback dishes, take advantage of the restaurant’s 50th anniversary prix-fixe menu, $75 for three courses, where classics cycle on and off. Other dishes to wax nostalgic over: lobster thermidor, duck l’orange, and a Grand Marnier soufflé.

]]>http://www.leperigord.com/newyork-com-peek-history-nycs-refined-restaurant-past-le-perigord/feed/0The Daily Meal Says—Le Périgord: Classic French Dining as It Should Behttp://www.leperigord.com/daily-meal-say-le-perigord-classic-french-dining/
http://www.leperigord.com/daily-meal-say-le-perigord-classic-french-dining/#commentsFri, 21 Aug 2015 20:50:21 +0000http://www.leperigord.com/?p=1604Read the full article at TheDailyMeal.com
Dan Myers, the Eat/Dine Editor for The Daily Meal since November 2012.

There was once a time when upscale dining in New York City was synonymous with high-end French fare, and dishes like Dover sole, duck à l’orange, and pike quenelles were as commonplace on fine-dining menus as $25 burgers are today. At the height of this trend, in the mid-1960s, now-vanished restaurants like Lutèce, La Côte Basque, and La Caravelle weren’t just restaurants, they were temples to fine dining, serving not only a white tablecloth experience but a sense of theatricality that’s all but vanished from the dining scene, with an exuberant host greeting you at the door (who oftentimes was also the owner), a polished maître d’, captains running service and plating dishes tableside with a whole lot of flair, diners in jackets and ties, and a sense of elegance that permeated the whole experience.

If you’re looking for that experience today, your options are limited. La Grenouille is still going strong, but good luck dining there without taking out a second mortgage on your house. If you’re looking to capture that old-fashioned high-end dining experience, your best bet is to head to Le Périgord.

“Bonjour, bonjour! How many are you?” you’ll hear as you walk through the door, delivered with a smile by none other than owner Georges Briguet, who’s been at the helm with his wife Marie-Thérèse since he first opened it in 1964. Briguet is a living legend, and as he escorts you to your table you get the sense that he’ll make sure that your meal goes off without a hitch. And a recent dinner there, by the invitation of the restaurant, was definitely an experience to remember.

Meals inside this comfortable 100-seat dining room (which was recently spiffed up but hasn’t changed much since Liz Taylor and Richard Burton famously dined there in 1964) progress at a leisurely pace, and it’s clear that nobody there is in a hurry. You’ll be halfway through your cocktail before you see a menu, and once your meal is through, nobody will rush you out.

Rebecca West at MealsAndReels.com posted a nice review after visiting Le Perigord recently. In her own words:

Meals and Reels is known to dine in more casual or occasionally upscale casual venues, due to the fact that we are 20 somethings living in an overpriced city (That we LOVE… don’t get me wrong). We take pride in exposing some of the smaller venues that may not be as well known and showcasing mouth watering plates that don’t break the bank.

Now, once in awhile we want to go all out and like Aziz and Donna in Parks and Reck would say “Treat Yo Self!”

Le Perigord is an iconic French restaurant that is literally the perfect go-to for a special date night. They’ve been open since 1964 and when you experience the beautiful and flawless dishes for yourself, you will know why. The tables are lined with white linen and the wait staff, in tuxedos, know everything there is to know about each dish and make great suggestions if you aren’t exactly sure what you’re in the mood for.

The New York Times calls it “a French restaurant the way French restaurants used to be”.

We ordered the Dover Sole and Duck, which was literally prepared table side…very, very impressive. The entire experience was visually beautiful and the plates were absolutely phenomenal. If you don’t want to order a la carte, there is both a lunch and dinner pre-fix menu that is filled with mouth watering options.

]]>http://www.leperigord.com/rebecca-west-meals-reels-says-treat-yo-self/feed/0BELLA Celebrates French Restaurant Week with Le Périgordhttp://www.leperigord.com/bella-celebrates-french-restaurant-week-le-perigord/
http://www.leperigord.com/bella-celebrates-french-restaurant-week-le-perigord/#commentsSat, 18 Jul 2015 14:43:12 +0000http://www.leperigord.com/?p=1595By Boston Scarlette, a former Kitchen Assistant at Natural Gourmet Institute and the founder of GirlsOnGrub.com—a food website designed to empower the female culinary point of view.

Bella New York dined at Le Périgord, one of New York’s established restaurants and member to this year’s French Restaurant Week (July 13-19, 2015). Celebrating fifty years with an extensive renovation, Le Périgord still serves classics with sophistication like Duck a L’Orange, Filet de bœuf grillé ou Wellington sauce Périgourd and our favorite Poulet rôti au vin jaune du Jura morilles et gratin Dauphinois. The morrilles were amazing and the gratin addicting.

]]>http://www.leperigord.com/bella-celebrates-french-restaurant-week-le-perigord/feed/0Celebrate French Restaurant Week at Le Périgordhttp://www.leperigord.com/celebrate-french-restaurant-week-le-perigord/
http://www.leperigord.com/celebrate-french-restaurant-week-le-perigord/#commentsWed, 15 Jul 2015 14:05:17 +0000http://www.leperigord.com/?p=1583In honor of Bastille Day on July 14, French Restaurant Week kicked off in New York City on Monday, July 13 and runs through July 19. Commemorating the start of the French Revolution and the storming of the Bastille, Bastille Day is a national celebration in France. As the French have contributed so much to America’s culinary culture, and, in particular, New York’s, restaurants around the city are celebrating with delicious dining deals and dishes.

We’re excited to be part of this year’s event and will be offering a special dinner menu of $178.90 for dinner for four!

MENU

APPETIZER

Mixed Green Salad
or
Soup of the Day
or
Pâté du Chef with celery remoulade and ratatouille
or
Vegetable Tart with Tangy Butter Sauce

MAIN COURSE

DESSERT

Trio of Desserts
or
Fruit Salad

]]>http://www.leperigord.com/celebrate-french-restaurant-week-le-perigord/feed/0Le Périgord Listed as One of OpenTable’s Restaurants to Celebrate Bastille Dayhttp://www.leperigord.com/celebrate-bastille-day/
http://www.leperigord.com/celebrate-bastille-day/#commentsTue, 14 Jul 2015 14:42:01 +0000http://www.leperigord.com/?p=1577We’re excited that OpenTable listed Le Périgord as one of only a handful of “très magnifique” French restaurants in the U.S. where you can celebrate Bastille Day. In their own words:

For over five decades, this Manhattan mainstay has been setting the bar for the classic French dining experience. The service is impeccable; the linens are pure white and crisp; the food a stirring reminder why France’s food is considered some of the best in the world. Hone in on the velveteen lobster bisque, veal medallions accented with morel sauce, and whatever strikes your fancy on the pastry trolley for dessert.

We couldn’t have said it better ourselves. Come to Le Périgord for Bastille Day—or any day—for an experience that is très magnifique!

]]>http://www.leperigord.com/celebrate-bastille-day/feed/0Le Périgord is Proud to Participate in National Sustainable Seafood Weekhttp://www.leperigord.com/le-perigord-proud-participate-national-sustainable-seafood-week/
http://www.leperigord.com/le-perigord-proud-participate-national-sustainable-seafood-week/#commentsThu, 18 Jun 2015 15:15:35 +0000http://www.leperigord.com/?p=1562Le Perigord is proud to be a part of the growing conversation about seafood in connection with sustainable food by participating in the New York City edition of National Sustainable Seafood Week, June 22 -28. The week is dedicated to raising the profile of the importance of maintaining the world’s seafood supply eating only fish and shellfish that have been caught or farmed in ways that consider the long term vitality of harvested species and the well being of the oceans, as well as the livelihoods of fishing dependent communities.

The week gives an educational, collaborative and tasty face to the sustainable seafood movement, which began in the 1990s, and involves more than 40 restaurants highlighting dishes featuring responsibly sourced seafood, along with a series of events such as an oyster farm tour and tasting and a guided tour of the new Fulton Fish Market.

All of the fish and seafood served at Le Perigord is deemed sustainable, but for this special week, we will showcase our Dover sole with lemon butter meuniere sauce, or grilled with mustard sauce, which has been one of our most popular dishes since we opened more than 51 years ago on April 1, 1964. In fact, for the first time, we will share our recipes for it during National Sustainable Seafood week on our Facebook page at www.facebook.com/leperigord. They will be available on the page throughout the week.

For more information about National Sustainable Seafood Week in New York City, its programming and participating restaurants, visit: http://www.sswnational.com/nyc/